1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to gaming machines and systems, and more specifically gaming machine display systems and devices.
2. Background
Casino gaming machines are well known in the art. Such devices may be embodied as spinning reel slot machines, video slot machines, Video Poker machines or the like. These machines are played by a player making a wager and prompting play. A computer processor for the device selects and displays an outcome. For a slot machine, the processor randomly selects and displays a combination of symbols which combination or combinations define one or more winning outcomes. The player receives an award for each winning outcome and loses their wager for losing outcomes.
It has become popular to provide, for gaming devices such as slot machines, one or more bonus game features. As is known in the art, the player makes their wager and plays a base game obtaining winning and losing outcomes. When a trigger condition is obtained, the bonus feature is enabled. The bonus feature may entail the display of bonus outcome selections where the player makes a selection to reveal a bonus.
Typically, a conventional gaming machine can have various audio and visual display components. Apparatuses and methods for providing displays in gaming machines and/or within a casino are generally well known, and instances of such apparatuses and methods can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,135,884; 6,251,014; and 6,503,147, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. Such video displays can be used to simulate mechanical gaming reels, whereby all elements of the displayed wheels are controlled and displayed electronically. Alternatively, physical gaming reels may be displayed behind a main display glass or other like viewing element, with the rotation and positioning of these physically present gaming reels being determined and controlled electronically, as is known in the art.
Various methods of gaining and maintaining interest in game play include designing and providing gaming machines with intriguing and different themes, game types, artwork, visual displays, sounds and the like. One attractive feature for many players is the use of a mechanical rotating bonus wheel or a virtual animated bonus wheel in a gaming machine, particularly where the bonus wheel is integrated with game play and/or other pertinent presentations to a game player and instances of such apparatuses and methods can be found in, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,788,573, 6,224,483 or in the Wheel of Fortune® Gaming Machines. The bonus wheel tends to be relatively dramatic and attracts players due to the excitement of playing the bonus round. Unfortunately, these types of mechanized wheel-based games can often be inflexible and cannot be reconfigured once the physical values are placed on the mechanized wheel. In order to reconfigure the wheel or the value on the wheels, a technician would have to take the gaming machine apart. This would create downtime for the gaming machine and the gaming machine would not generate any profit during this downtime.